Chapter 25: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood Episode 25
Creeeeeeak—!
Creeeeeeak—!
Creeeeeeak—!
Kim Do-hoon felt his consciousness flying far away.
He couldn't comprehend what was happening to him.
'What in the world...'
A piercing "Beeeeep!" rang continuously in his ears.
His cheeks burned so intensely that all sensation had vanished...
A metallic, fishy, and salty taste kept swirling in his mouth.
A feeble groan escaped through his slightly parted lips.
"Guhhhhk..."
His face was already mangled beyond recognition, his teeth all shattered from the impact, unable to withstand the force...
"Stand up straight."
"Ughhk..."
"Good, good."
Kang-jun showed no intention whatsoever of stopping this 'one-sided beating.'
Kim Do-hoon gasped for breath, his eyes locking onto Kang-jun's.
Beyond that gaze—cold and heavy as iron—pure killing intent surged.
'I have to move...'
If I don't move, I'll die.
'I have to resist...'
If I don't resist, I'll die.
'I have to run...'
If I can't run, I'll die.
"Ughhhhk—!"
With all his might, Kim Do-hoon wrenched himself free from Kang-jun's grip on his hair.
Thud—!
Then, with unsteady steps, he began staggering away from Kang-jun.
Before long, he lost his balance and collapsed with a "Thump!" onto the ground.
His face, drenched in terror and madness, scraped against the floor as he desperately crawled away.
"Ughhh..."
Like a drowning man flailing his limbs in a futile struggle for air.
Kang-jun, showing no emotional fluctuation, followed at a leisurely pace with an expressionless face.
Step, step.
Kim Do-hoon felt the low, heavy sound of dress shoes gradually drawing closer from behind.
To him, those footsteps might as well have belonged to the Grim Reaper—chilling and ominous.
The revolting helplessness and sheer terror of being reduced to mere prey before an apex predator.
For someone who had received the highest possible 'S-rank' rating upon awakening, this was an alien sensation he had never experienced before.
Kim Do-hoon twisted his head to look at Kang-jun, scrambling backward on his rear like a cornered animal.
All this, just from a few slaps.
"D-don't come any closer..."
A few slaps had reduced him to this state of terror.
"Stay away—!"
Just as Kim Do-hoon screamed with veins bulging in his neck, the snipers—hosts to the parasites—simultaneously aimed their rifles at Kang-jun.
Kang-jun's icy gaze swept over the snipers, whose eyes were utterly lifeless.
"Bugs...?"
Noticing the bizarre creatures—each the size of a child's head—coiled atop their skulls, Kang-jun narrowed his eyes.
In a low voice, he muttered repeatedly, "Bugs, bugs..." before something suddenly clicked in his mind.
A few days ago, when he had been 'arrested' by Seol, who was engrossed in playing 'cops and robbers,' and imprisoned (on the balcony) in his underwear...
That day, he had discovered a 'suspicious bug' carrying trace amounts of mana and crushed it to death with his bare hands.
'So, sending bugs to my home was this bastard's doing too?'
Though there were mountains of questions he wanted to ask, prolonged torture would eventually make the man spill everything.
Soon, an indescribably viscous and sinister energy began radiating from Kang-jun.
Whoooooosh—!
It transformed into a poisonous mist-like black fog, engulfing the entire rooftop.
"Is the corpse a gift?"
"W-what...?"
"Make good use of it."
Kang-jun added curtly,
"I don't particularly enjoy dirtying my hands."
At that moment, a bizarre phenomenon occurred.
The poisonous mist swallowed the snipers whole...
Drip—.
Suddenly, dark red blood trickled from Kim Do-hoon's nose.
Dizzy, he blinked stupidly.
'W-what the hell is going on?'
An immense amount of mana had intervened, annihilating his parasites.
It was a cosmic-scale quantity of mana.
The sheer gap in class made his eyes tremble violently...
Sinister noises began echoing from beyond the dark fog.
"Krrrrk..."
"Kreek..."
"Krrrrk..."
As the thick mist gradually dissipated, several skeletons—undead species of monsters—revealed themselves.
Weren't skeletons supposed to be the weakest, most laughable among the countless undead monsters?
Unfortunately, the skeletons standing before him now were on an entirely different plane from those in his memories.
Their grotesquely massive frames radiated dissonance, their entire bodies clad in what appeared to be black carapace.
Each wielded a viciously sharp sword, their hollow eye sockets flickering with crimson light.
As always, a summon's appearance naturally reflected the quality and quantity of its caster's mana, along with their traits...
"D-don't tell me you're a high-rank necromancer...?"
Unable to process the scene before him, Kim Do-hoon began laughing hysterically.
Wasn't a 'necromancer' supposed to be a long-range combat specialist, a magic-class Awakened?
How could a necromancer exert such overwhelming physical force?
How could anyone possess such extraordinary physical prowess alongside cosmic-scale mana reserves?
Squelch—.
Finally, the spectacle before him shattered his will to fight, and he disgracefully lost consciousness.
Only then did he realize the futility of struggling for survival against an opponent with an insurmountable chasm between them.
"Scared?"
Nod.
"Think death would be preferable?"
Nod.
"Unfortunately, I have no intention of giving you a clean death."
"T-then...?"
"I'll revive you as many times as it takes to get all the answers I want."
His voice was low and smooth.
Simultaneously...
It was chilling and ominous.
"Seeing is believing."
"...?"
"Try a taste first."
With that brief remark, Kang-jun gave a slight nod toward him.
One skeleton moved faster than the eye could follow—
Thunk—.
With flawless precision, it plunged its sword deep into Kim Do-hoon's abdomen, twisted it sideways, and withdrew.
"Ghhhaaak..."
Thus, Kim Do-hoon met his first death before he could divulge a single piece of information.
It wasn't until Kim Do-hoon had died and been revived over a dozen times that Kang-jun finally obtained all the information he wanted.
'So this Anti-Management Alliance or whatever is targeting Bong-gu...'
If the media's newly celebrated hero joined the ranks of an infamous organization, what then?
The social upheaval would be immense, and countless people would be gripped by overwhelming anxiety.
'No...'
What if Bong-gu stubbornly refused their recruitment and was brutally murdered before a crowd?
Worse yet, what if it happened at a ceremony meant to celebrate peace, with countless innocent casualties?
Doubt and chaos would inevitably spread regarding the Management Bureau's competence and effectiveness.
"Quite the cunning bastards, aren't they...?"
As Kang-jun continued the interrogation, a chilling resolution solidified in his mind—he would slaughter every last one of these men without exception.
The world his daughter would live in had no need for creatures like these...
It was a reason both profoundly simple and chillingly straightforward.
"Hmm."
His gaze then fell upon the mutilated corpse of Kim Do-hoon sprawled at his feet.
Not only were the wrists and ankles severed, but the body bore hundreds of shallow and deep stab wounds across its surface.
These were the remnants of repeatedly killing and reviving the man over a dozen times to extract every last confession.
Yet it seemed someone had taken measures to ensure no one could reveal critical information about their base or leader.
'Th-that person's true identity is actually...'
Whether through some powerful taboo magic or other means, the moment Do-hoon tried to divulge that information, his head had exploded.
Clicking his tongue in frustration, Kang-jun tightened his loosened tie and straightened his appearance.
"My Lord, we've finished handling them all."
As Illyria arrived on the rooftop with perfect decorum, Kang-jun nodded in acknowledgment.
"Good work."
He exhaled deeply before continuing.
"Let's head back."
The award ceremony might already be over by now.
"My Lord, what of the aftermath...?"
After a moment's consideration, Kang-jun scratched his head.
"They'll figure it out."
Then with a radiant smile as if nothing had happened, he added:
"Let's go. We should at least congratulate Bong-gu and take some commemorative photos together."
Meanwhile, inside the COEX convention hall, the medal ceremony—the main event of the day—was in full swing.
Kim Bong-gu, the rising star hunter nicknamed 'Filial Son', stood frozen with nervous tension as...
"You've endured much."
Director Seo Do-cheol smiled benevolently while personally pinning the medal to Bong-gu's chest.
Clap clap clap clap—!
Clap clap clap clap—!
Clap clap clap clap—!
From the front row, a man with gentle features quietly sighed before remarking:
"Personally, he doesn't strike me as the type to be hailed as a 'new hero'..."
This was Kang Sung-hyun, ranked 5th among S-rank hunters, known by the epithet 'Black Wolf' and guild master of the prestigious Solitude guild.
A bald, thick-limbed brute of a man nodded in agreement:
"Can't say I know much, but he looks so scrawny I couldn't find an ounce of masculinity if I scrubbed my eyes clean."
This was Go Du-yeol, ranked 6th among S-rank hunters with the epithet 'Iron Man', serving as Solitude's deputy guild master.
As they exchanged these private assessments, both men suddenly checked their phones in unison...
After reading the messages, they exchanged a glance and swiftly exited the hall.
[Multiple corpses suspected to be Anti-Bureau Alliance Murderers found on rooftop and aquarium levels. One identified as high-ranking 'Torture Technician Lee Hee-ji'...]
Rushing out, they soon reached the rooftop where...
The horrific scene before them made them instinctively grimace.
Among the scattered corpses, one particularly mutilated body stood out.
"Ghastly..."
Not only were the limbs severed, but the torso had been brutally carved up—with nothing remaining above the neck.
The only saving grace...
Was the faint glimpse of an Anti-Bureau Alliance tattoo visible through the torn clothing.
"Who could have...?"
Dozens of Murderers eliminated—including an S-rank level executive—by someone whose identity and motives remained completely unknown.
Whether friend or foe remained unclear, leaving them unable to celebrate nor fully panic.
Arriving late, Kang-jun scanned the convention hall.
Audience members were streaming out like a receding tide.
Bong-gu stood surrounded by well-wishers, engrossed in conversation.
"Seems we're a bit late?"
"Indeed, my Lord."
"He looks busy. Let's wait."
Kang-jun watched Bong-gu's oblivious, beaming face with pitying eyes.
'You fool...you're in deep trouble.'
The sight of him cheerfully socializing, unaware that a massive criminal syndicate wanted him dead, tugged at Kang-jun's heartstrings.
'Bong-gu, this isn't the time for carefree laughter...'
Not that Kang-jun could personally guard him 24/7.
Meaning...
At any moment, Bong-gu could be kidnapped and subjected to horrific torture without warning.
'Come to think of it, I might've screwed Bong-gu over by association...'
His sudden rise to fame as a promising hunter, becoming a target for that sinister Alliance...
All traces back to me, doesn't it?
Not that he felt particularly apologetic.
'His own damn fault.'
Still, he wouldn't abandon the man.
Life would be inconvenient without Bong-gu...
And against his expectations, he'd grown fond of the fool.
At minimum, he'd ensure Bong-gu could protect himself.
'Starting tomorrow, I'll work him to the bone.'
The training would be brutal—repeated near-death experiences guaranteed.
'Still better than actual death.'
Meanwhile, Bong-gu approached with sunny ignorance.
"You two waited long because of me, huh?"
"Not really..."
"Let me treat you to dinner tonight!"
Kang-jun murmured, "Sure," then added:
"They say well-fed ghosts glow brighter, don't they?"
"Hyung-nim, if you're angry about the wait—"
"Nah, just popped into my head..."
Trailing off, Kang-jun led them out while muttering:
"Bong-gu, if you die suddenly, I'll resurrect you for old times' sake."
"Like how?"
"Personally think a dullahan would suit you."
Bong-gu couldn't fathom why his hyung would say such things...
'Of all undead, why a headless horseman?!'
As he looked on questioningly, Illyria interjected:
"Obviously because your face is ugly."
"Huh?"
"Since ancient times, our Lord revives ugly men as dullahans."
Stunned by this uncomfortable truth, Bong-gu silently vowed:
Better to live with an ugly face than become a headless monster—he'd survive like a cockroach no matter what.
Regardless...
The eventful memorial and award ceremony concluded (relatively) without further incident.